Mama’s Wisdom
By Harriet Hairston
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who made all her decisions based on how she felt. She gave little to no regard to the long term consequences of her decisions, nor did she care how her actions hurt those around her. In essence, she thought she was the center of the universe.
On the little girl’s eighth birthday, she received two presents that changed her life. The first present was a Betamax videotape of Mr. T’s “Be Somebody or Be Somebody’s Fool.” As she watched it, she learned how to pop, lock, break and stand on her own two feet as an individual.
The second present was intangible, but unlike the Betamax videotape, she was able to carry it with her for the rest of her life, and it never went out of style or became irrelevant. She received some wisdom from her beloved Mama about how to maintain her integrity in her personal decision making processes.
Mama said, “Baby girl, never make a decision if ‘H.A.L.T.’ is in the way.”
Baby girl asked, “Mama, what’s ‘H.A.L.T?’”
Mama said, “Baby girl, to keep from being impulsive, impatient and potentially making a decision that’s going to affect you for the rest of your life, make sure none of these four things are affecting you. If you’re H.ungry, A.ngry, L.onely or T.ired, you should pause to alleviate those issues prior to making any decision. Happy birthday, baby girl!”
Those words totally revolutionized the way “Baby Girl” carried herself. As she grew in stature, she grew in wisdom, all because of the H.A.L.T. principle her mother gave her for her 8th birthday. It remains to be seen if she will live happily ever after, but she most certainly is enjoying the journey life has blessed her with.
– The end…of the beginning –
That’s my story, I’m sticking to it. I can still pop and lock, but my anatomy no longer supports doing the worm. Yet although break dancing may not be a staple of my life any longer, that H.A.L.T. principle will remain tried and true for me. The only thing I can think to add to Mama’s Wisdom is another H. Don’t ever make a decision when you’re Horny. It is what it is. 
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What about you, BMWK? What kind of wisdom was imparted from your loved ones as you were growing up that you’ve held fast to even today?
God bless!
~ Harriet
Harriet Hairston, a freelance writer, human resources administrator at an HBCU and creator of the motivational blog, “Can She SAY That?!?” has a unique style that brings readers into her life through her transparent demeanor. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and two sons. You can reach her at harriet_hairston@yahoo.com.
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